Saw a trailer a while back about an upcoming movie called Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
The movie is based on the first from a series of five books by Rick Riordan called Percy Jackon & The Olympians, The Lightning Thief is the first book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Jack ... _OlympiansIt sounds great Greek gods and everything in the present but is it? Has anyone read them? If you have read them what do you find of it? Would you recommend them?

What would good do if evil didn't exist, and what would the earth look like if all the shadows disappeared?

I haven't read them, but desparately want to watch the films. Greek mythology is my favourite historical subject and I plan to tour Greece taking in the sights and sounds of the places that the myths "happened"

Seen the film advertised... I heard they made changes made the hero older so that he can have a love story .. ! Anyway I have decided that it is either book or movie with this one and I think I'd prefer the movie.

This is way too late, but, yes, it is. The idea is that the places such as Mount Olympus are abstract things that move from time to time, but are given the same names. other examples are the place where atlas holds up teh sky, the entrance to the underworld, etc.

I havent watched the movie, but from what my friends tell me, it isnt anything like the books. It completely removes one of the characters that in later books is a main character and makes one of Percy's best friends his enemy or something.
Anyway, the books are great and never get boring.

Smilies are friends, not food. ..............Now You See It, Now You Don't..............Proud Copper Widow

Uh-huh. The plot's different, the place where the dad go is different, areis is gone, the fight on the beach doesn't happen and is replaced with a fight with luke. the cabins are different, in the book the gods arn't forbidden to talk to their kids but they don't anyway, Zues, hades and posidon arn't meant to have kids but do anyway ok...this stopped making sense a while back

I'm going to need a swat team, ready to mobilize, street maps covering the whole of florida, a pot of coffee, 12 jammy dodgers and A FEZ.

Well that sucks.
I still find it cool how George Washington is a son of Athena and Hitler is a son of Hades. Its like everything was just waiting for him to make a mess of it. To quote MattK, its a world where ideas can run around and smack into things

Smilies are friends, not food. ..............Now You See It, Now You Don't..............Proud Copper Widow

Finished the set. Actually, the idea is brilliant, but Rick Riordan is not that great a writer. He doesnt build up the climax, it has about 3 pages of peace and then the book explodes. And no emotions and real reactions, or no thought through reactions actually mentioned.

Smilies are friends, not food. ..............Now You See It, Now You Don't..............Proud Copper Widow

Has anyone noticed how most of the demigods, probably all have their last names corresponding to their god-father(oops, bad pun )

Travis and Connor Stoll(Stole)-Hermes
Silena Beauregard(french for handsome-watch/beautiful)-Aphrodite
Anabeth Chase(s after knowledge)-Athena
Percy Jackon(popular name for a certain rebel pirate i know. ok, i know those two are pushing it a bit )

Smilies are friends, not food. ..............Now You See It, Now You Don't..............Proud Copper Widow

Percy Jackson's all right...I started reading the series when I was about 12...I think it's funny how Riordan stretches stories. I actually went to the Gateway Arch that Percy and Co. visit in Lightning Thief. There's actually no way to end up in the water jumping from the top of the Arch, unless there's a gigantic freak wind in the right direction, of you've got a mini parachute.

The rumour spread through the city like: ______.
A) Wildfire
B) Margarine
C) Venereal disease
D) A disco of pain